A Dragon's life
by Sinitar
Summary: The life of a family of dragons during the war with the elves. It's basically dragon fluff at its prime with more twists to show up later.
1. The hunt

**This was actually a side story from one of my unpopular fanfics, but since some of you might like a story which solely focuses on dragons, I decided to post it on its own and see if people are actually interested in this. If not...well, I tried at least.**

It was a gloomy spring day, heavy grey clouds filling the skies. The grey giants looked like they had swallowed the mountain peaks, enveloping them. The mountains of the Spine were barely visible. It was close to dusk, the light slowly fading away from the sky and land. Once in a while, lightning illuminated the dull, grey sky, strong bouts of thunder often following, shaking the hushed atmosphere. The vast forests situated at the base of the mountains stretched far and wide, basking the view with different shades of green. Pine trees, fir trees; all different arbores could be sighted, mixing in a random pattern.

The upper heights of the mountains were decorated with tall fir trees that offered a streak of colour to the steep and ragged cliffs that couldn't support any other form of vegetation on them. The fir trees were taller compared to the ones found at the base of the mountains, somehow adapting to the harsh conditions which they had to confront.

It was a still landscape; only the wind blowing through the corridors created by the mountains moved the leaves in the trees to disturb the peace that was brought before the storm. Every being which lived in the forest was searching for a place to shelter from the upcoming storm, afraid of the rumbling thunders which warned about what was to come.

But, despite the monotone landscape, a speck of gold could be seen gliding gracefully across the landscape. The graceful gliding was brought to a halt when the being swooped into a steep dive as it accelerated towards the ground, looking like it was going to crash. Birds flew out of the trees as the sound of animals scattering in panic alerted almost all the residents in the area of the impending danger.

_You are a fast one, but there is no escape from a predator of the sky _thought Sinedar, his golden eyes fixed on his prey, a pudgy deer that was moving fast despite its bulky body.

Usually, a dragon should take his prey by surprise and kill it before it had realized what had struck it, but because Sinedar was a young dragon, failing was part of learning the hunt. Because of this, the hunt – which is the art of stalking and opportune strike – turned into a chase among the dense forests.

The dragon kept following the deer idly, enjoying the thrill of the hunt as he followed his prey while at the same time he was careful not to hit some of the bigger trees that got in his way. When a clearing could be spotted ahead, the dragon ascended briefly before accelerating towards his prey with astonishing speed, digging the claws of his hind legs into the deer's flank, all while manoeuvring his body around so that he wouldn't hit any branches that could hurt him in the process.

Crack! The sound of branches cracking and the desperate cries of the deer filled the area, alerting any animals nearby that someone just lost its life to sate a predator's hunger. Sinedar roared with pride as the buck lied limp in his claws.

He released his prey – which fell motionlessly onto the ground – before he landed. He followed, dropping to the ground with thump. Satisfied of his accomplishment, he sat on his haunches to regain his strength as his breath slowly regained its normal rhythm.

Sinedar was a medium sized dragon for his age. He was roughly 5 months old, his body being the size of a rhino. The golden scales covering his body sparkled like suns, bright spheres of molten gold. The thin membrane of his wings was a lighter shade of yellow, accenting his scales perfectly. His muscular hind legs provided the necessary force to lift his body from the ground and his now bloodies paws were equipped with sharp, ivory claws. Trailing along his spine to the tip of his tail were different size spikes adorning his back bearing the same colour as his claws.

_It's not how I thought it would turn out to be, but at least I got myself a fine meal_, the golden dragon thought before proceeding to examine his injuries. He didn't notice any serious injuries; only minor small bloodied cuts that could be seen along his wing membranes which were more irritating than painful.

_Well, it's better than the last time, and these will heal in a short time_, Sinedar said to himself, tucking his wings to his body after he examined the wounds with his snout.  
He began to feast on his kill, eating as fast as he could before the light would completely fade. Even for a dragon's enhanced sight, it would be hard for him to spot anything from a distance unless it provided some kind of light. Normally, night wouldn't be a problem if the sky was clear, but given the circumstances it would soon be pitch black and he didn't know how far the hunt had taken him from home.

After the dragon ate as much as he could from the carcass, he observed the mess he had made. He gave a draconic grin and then licked the blood off of his snout. He felt a light touch on his back and he turned around. Nothing. He sniffed the air but he couldn't smell anything but blood and rain. _Rain!_ Sinedar looked up to the sky and was met with an unexpected force colliding with his snout, sending tiny droplets of water in different directions.

Sinedar snorted in irritation and more drops of water pelted his head. A chill swept through his body as a gust of wind whooshed around him. Bewildered, his cocked his head to the side and looked at the forest in front of him. His eyes widened when he saw a great torrent of downpour rapidly approaching him and he took to the skies, beating his wings furiously to avoid being smashed in the trees by the powerful air currents that came before the rain.

He was blind to where he was going, the night dark hiding everything and the rain running into his eyes didn't help. His energy was quickly depleting as he struggled against the rain and wind.

_Blasted weather!_He thought grittily. Realising the distance back to his natal cave was too far, he decided he should find a shelter of some kind from the weather but a part of him wanted to keep going so that he could reach his parents and sleep in their warm embrace so he kept flying.

As his mind drifted towards the familiar cave, a huge flash of lightning followed by a loud rumble sent him into full awareness and he landed as soon as he found a clearing, fearing for his safety as multiple bolts of lightning could be seen cutting through the stormy sky at different time intervals, followed by ear-splitting bangs.

Sinedar hit the ground with a loud thud but he lost his balance and hit ground face first, covering his lower jaw, neck and belly in mud. He was a bit disappointed that he somehow managed to fail at such an easy thing such as landing, but he didn't think much of it as he looked up at the sky, growling in frustration. It was completely black, exempting the times when forks of lightning lit up the sky.

He snorted and began to move, sometimes bumping into trees and different objects as he tried to find shelter as fast as possible. After some time, fatigue began to accumulate and Sinedar was growing increasingly tired but he didn't stop. Moving incoherently through the forest, the golden dragon continued his search. Rain continued to pelt him and some was beginning to slip through his scales, chilling his sensitive skin.

He eventually crashed to the ground under a tree with a frustrated wail, his limbs sore from the prolonged effort. The tree's thick foliage did little to protect him from the elements but it lessened the force of the wind around him. He didn't move from his place for some time, shivering because of the cold weather. In time, he gathered up what little energy he had left and curled up into a ball, the tip of his tail touching his snout, to preserve body heat.

The pressure of the rain was starting to lessen but the temperature was getting lower, forcing the exhausted dragon to find an alternate solution of shelter rather than to sleep out in the open.

He sluggishly got up with a low growl to signal his displeasure and checked on his surroundings. He was surrounded by trees and there was no visible place that could shelter him from the heavy rain, but as a bolt of lightning illuminated the landscape, he could notice that he wasn't very far away from a cliff face.

Getting his hopes up, Sinedar started to move as fast as he could towards the newly discovered refuge but the lack of light wasn't helping him so he had to wait for a few more bolts of lightning to light up the sky to see where he was going.

When he arrived near his objective, he quickly began to inspect the cliff face in search for a place that could at least shield him from the unforgiving and cold rain that was draining his body temperature rather quickly given the fact that his scales didn't completely shield him from the water drops and a drop or two could make their way towards his warm and sensitive skin located under his natural armour.

After some searching for any warm and cosy caves that he could sleep in, luck struck the dragon. In front of him was a middle sized cave which could provide the necessary shelter from the bad weather. Sinedar rumbled happily and moved towards it. When he reached it, he realized that it would be a tight squeeze. As he shuffled his body into the cave, the golden dragon was forced to lower himself onto his belly so that his wings would not touch the cold ceiling.  
_  
__It's not home, but it will suffice_, thought Sinedar as he coiled his body, preparing for sleep.

Sinedar was suddenly roused from his sleep by an angry growl that came from outside of the cave.

_Grrr! What now!_ Sinedar growled angrily. The golden dragon opened his eyes to see what the cause of his disturbance was. He looked outside the cave and noticed that the rain had stopped and the clouds dissipated, revealing a full moon that was shining its light across the landscape and thousands of twinkling dots that covered the serene night sky.

At first he thought that his mind was playing tricks on him and that he was still a dreaming but it was proven otherwise when he heard something approaching his location. He quickly got up from the comfortable position and using his sharp senses he could make out the form of the invader. It was a large bear, a bit smaller than him, but still a formidable opponent if the two of them would engage in a fight.

Sinedar eyed the bear carefully as it got closer, trying to predict the animal's reaction. The bear raised its nose and sniffed the air, smelling the strange creature that was residing in what appeared to be a good shelter from the bad weather but didn't get any closer as it feared that the creature may suddenly attack.

The dragon got bored of the bear's impassive attitude and decided that it wouldn't do any good to end its life, taking into consideration the exhaustion from his earlier ordeal and this would be just another waste of energy. With a loud roar, he sent the bear on its way, the brown creature running for its life. Sinedar snorted, amused by the bear's reaction.

_That was a wise decision on your part. Life is more valuable than a shelter._He then let out a louder roar to prevent any inhabitant of the forest to approach that cave. It was his place for now. He slowly closed his golden eyes and with a low growl he fell back asleep.

* * *

He woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. He slowly got up, yawning and stretching his body. The cave was not really comfortable so he was forced to sleep in a rather awkward position. For this reason, his left wing was numb. As he left the cave, a cool rush of wind brushed against his scales, making the dragon quiver with anticipation of the approaching day.

After a little while, he looked up and tried to guess what time of day it was but the sun's light blinded him, forcing him to shut his eyes tightly for a moment. Bright spots danced across his vision as he slowly opened his eyes again. After he got used to the light, Sinedar started to explore his surroundings. He walked around the surrounding forest, trying to find anything that was familiar to him. He felt unsure, having never explored this part of his parent's territory.

_I must be somewhere near the edge of our territory_. He shrugged at the thought, grateful that he wasn't in the territory of another dragon.

Realising his parents were awaiting for him to come back, he stretched his sore wings then flapped them several times to make sure he was able to fly effectively. Even though his wings pained him a little, he dug his claws into the soft earth and used his muscular hind legs to propel him as he took to the skies, flapping his wings furiously to gain altitude. The pain made itself apparent as the dragon flapped harder but he had to push on. He knew if he didn't get home soon his parents would start to get worried and probably begin searching for him which wasn't that bad except the fact that he knew they would discipline him for being reckless. Various threats were lurking in these forests; threats that were especially dangerous for a young dragon such as Sinedar. Trying to push the uncomfortable notion aside, the golden dragon tried to think about his sister, but to no avail. Feeling a favourable air current, he veered to the left in hope of alleviating the pain.

The onrush of air made the pain subside for a bit as his wing beats slowed down, allowing the currents to do the job for him.

He continued to glide for a while enjoying the freedom he had while he was in the air, occasionally giving a hard flap of his wings to maintain the altitude which kept dropping despite the favourable air currents and his occasional wing beats. He soon stopped his wing beats and continued to glide towards a place not far away from his position, in which no trees grew. It wasn't the best choice to make a landing, but the dragon's small stature allowed him to touch down without any problems. He carefully manoeuvred his position in the air, and beat his wings slowly to slow his decent despite the pain which annoyed him more than it actually hurt.

When he was close enough to the ground, he unfurled his wings to their maximum length and landed on his hind legs with a small thud, then quickly placing his front legs on the ground, a grumble escaping his throat.

_That went better than I expected, _Sinedar snorted as he tucked his wings back against his body and began to explore the area around him.

Luck shined upon him as the sound of a stream caught his ears. He quickly moved towards the source of the noise and recognized the stream as being the one where he was playing with his little sister not to long ago.

Realizing that he almost reached his destination, the dragon let out a roar of happiness and proceeded to drink from the stream to quench his thirst. He only managed to drink a bit before he was interrupted by a familiar thud.

He quickly scanned the area around him to search for the intruder. Everything ranged from green, which were the leaves of the trees, to brown, which mainly belonged to the trunks of the trees. But among the different shades of green and brown, Sinedar noticed a speck of blue approaching his location fast.

He barely had time to recognize the figure as it plunged into its side, throwing him in the small stream, making the dragon yelp in the process. The blow was powerful, but much of the force dissipated when Sinedar was thrown into the water because of the force of the impact.

Sinedar tried to get up and make a run for it despite the pain coming from his right flank, but was pinned down by what appeared to be a larger sapphire dragon which was growling at him. He tried to communicate with him but it proved ineffective as the dragon had its mind closed from everything.

Sinedar panicked and tried to break free by kicking with his hind legs and moving his wings, but to no avail. The other dragon was bigger and more powerful than him, and if a fight would start between the two of them Sinedar would be gravely injured, or even killed, a prospect that frightened the younger dragon.

Realizing that aggressive actions won't lead him anywhere, the golden dragon simply laid limp, hoping that the other dragon, if he had any intention to fight, would have the decency to spare his life if he saw that he didn't want to put up a fight.

The sapphire dragon let out a loud roar as he leaned his head towards Sinedar's neck. Sinedar thought that he was going earn himself a bite and closed his eyes in the anticipation of the attack, but to his surprise it never came.

As he opened his eyes to see what was going on, Sinedar noticed that the sapphire's dragon nostrils were twitching as he sniffed his neck. Sinedar was bewildered by the older dragon's actions and tried to move, but before he was able to do something he received a quick nudge from the dragon, then he heard a deep yet very familiar voice speaking in his mind.

_Dead!_ He then licked Sinedar on the neck. _You did not learn a thing from what I have taught you, did you? If you are pinned, try to use your tail to imbalance your opponent or distract him enough to make your other move._The sapphire dragon named Serkath nuzzled Sinedar encouragingly and allowed him to get up.

Noticing that the golden dragon almost slipped on the wet rocks, Serkath chuckled. _Do you need some help? Looks like you do._

Sinedar growled in frustration; was not in the mood for satirical comments. He dug his claws on the bottom of the river and, with the improved balance, he managed to get up. He let out a surprised growl as he found himself back in the water in the next second.

He snarled at Serkath, annoyed by his actions. _What was that for? I'm not in the mood for games, father._

As soon as he got up he jumped to the river bank to make sure that no drop of water would touch his scales again if Serkath knocked him over again. He fixed his eyes on the sapphire dragon who was growling strangely, apparently laughing at his son's clumsiness.

_That isn't funny! I was convinced that you were another dragon, ready to attack me for trespassing your territory_, said Sinedar with a bit of irritation, shaking his body to remove the water droplets

The sapphire dragon became serious again as he approached his son.

_Now that would be a surprise. From where did you get this idea anyway? I showed you the boundaries of our territory when you were smaller so you should have an idea when you are about to leave it._ Noticing the sun's position, the dragon unfurled his wings, preparing to take off._We should get going. Your mother awaits your return. I presume you will tell me what happened along the way._

Circling above the golden dragon, Serkath wondered why Sinedar was having difficulties flapping his wings. He chuckled as he realized what the problem was. _Now, don't tell me you can't fly. You truly are a hatchling…_

Blood rushed through Sinedar's face. To hide his embarrassment, the dragon beat his wings with force and used his hind legs to launch himself into the air.

**Tell me if I should continue or not.**


	2. chapter 2

**Alright folks, new chappy is up! Sorry for taking so long to update, but school hasn't been very kind to me in the past few days. I do hope, however, that the quality of the chapter hasn't suffered because of my problems, since I put as much work as I could into it. Without further addo, let me present you with chapter 2 which is title-less due to the lack of ideas and a bit of slacking on my part.**

The afternoon sun was high in the sky, spreading its pure white rays across the forest below. The smaller mountains were entirely covered in fir trees, offering them the look of an uneven sea of green. The different species of mixed trees consisting of rowans, fir trees and pines were bathed in the warm, life-giving light, making the whole forest look like a flawless gem sitting on a dwarf's workshop.

Up in the air, the two dragons were making their way back to their cave, taking pleasure in the warm day. The two beings flew gracefully across the beautiful landscape, enjoying the warm rays of the sun bouncing on their scales, which sparkled with different specks of gold and sapphire as the sun reflected off their crystalline surface.

Occasionally, the two would perform loops, corkscrews and other different aerial maneuvers to put their skills to the test. Although the sapphire dragon was more enthusiastic when it came to hone his flying skills, him being the one that started every move, the golden dragon would sometimes follow his father's example and join him in his different games.

_I do not understand what has got you, father. A while ago, you were content with simply flying in a straight line, and now you are in the mood for more of these games?_ growled Sinedar piercingly, irritated by his father's behavior. It was he who acted like a hatchling, still practicing all the boring, endless games.

His method to get his point across worked, but much to Sinedar's displeasure, the result was not what he had expected. As he joined his father and flew by his side, Serkath began to lecture him after he let out an objective growl to summon his son's attention.

_These are not just simple games, Sinedar. Although it may seem pointless to you, these exercises are of great importance when it comes to hone your aerial skills. There may be a time when you will have to put these skills to the ultimate test. When an unfavorable circumstance will threaten your life, knowledge and experience will be the prime factors to decide the outcome._

Serkath continued to explain his son why are the games useful in a dragon's life and the true purpose behind what appeared to be a hatchling game. Sinedar was slightly surprised by this new discovery, as he knew not the other purpose of games. Leaving him no time to ponder about his recent lesson, Serkath suddenly bumped into his side and did a back flip, disappearing from sight. This caused the gold dragon to yelp in surprise and lose his balance. He was slowly losing altitude, even if he furiously flapped his wings to get himself back on track.

After a few powerful wing strokes and a bit of maneuvering, Sinedar had managed to correct his position and resumed his usual flight, beating his wings slowly at a regular interval and letting the air currents do the work for him. He was still feeling a bit shaken from his earlier experience, so he became more serious and cautious to his surroundings. It was not the first time when his father got the best of him when he was unaware of what was going to happen. Because of that, he promised to himself that his father's games would not catch him unaware next time. As he scanned the skies with his golden eyes, Sinedar quickly noticed the large body of a sapphire dragon flying towards him.

Serkath watched the whole scene, amused by the display. Not being able to control himself, he chuckled when he noticed that his son completely lost control of his flight path. The sound of velvety wings flapping against the air filled the atmosphere as the golden dragon desperately tried to correct his awkward position. Serkath snorted a puff of black smoke as he noticed Sinedar's efforts to resume his normal flight path. After a series of tedious maneuvers, Sinedar pushed his body upwards and threw his father an irritated glance.

Realizing that his offspring probably misinterpreted the joke, considering Sinedar's already bad mood, the sapphire dragon flew in his direction with quick moves of his powerful wings.

As soon as he joined his son, he hummed happily, much to Sinedar's displeasure. _You did well, my son. For a moment, I thought you would keep falling down. Should that was to happen, I would have had to interfere._

Sinedar let out an impassive growl at the praise, not impressed by his father's words. He was merely trying to get on his good side, and the golden dragon did not buy it. With his pride hurt a little bit, Sinedar tried to get away from the sapphire dragon by veering right. However, his tail betrayed his actions and he was soon brought back to his senses by a powerful roar.

_Trying to get away, are we?_ Serkath's sudden intervention caused Sinedar to bare his teeth in annoyance, but the hatchling needed a lot more to intimidate the massive blue dragon. The visible signs of distress his son was displaying did not go unnoticed. For this reason, Serkath adopted a more serious mood.

As soon as the sapphire eyes met with the golden ones of his son, he added on a soothing tone, _While your quick mind found a solution to the imminent problem, you still panicked and let that feeling get the best of you. Sometimes, improvising might get you a long way. Even if you are good, do not be pleased with yourself until you become better._ The older dragon paused, analyzing his son's behavior. He did not seem to rebel for what has transpired earlier. Pleased with his attitude, the sapphire dragon continued, _As you have learned while we were training together, you only need to..._

Serkath continued his lessons for a while, praising him for his earlier maneuver and scowling him for past errors. A roar of indignation suddenly interrupted him.

_I did the best I could in that situation. I was not even prepared for what was to come and I was forced to improvise_, whined Sinedar back with bitterness, still slightly annoyed by his father's persistence.  
The sapphire dragon tried to reply back but he was interrupted again by Sinedar's loud growl.  
_  
__How many times do I have to tell you that I am not in the mood for games, father? While I enjoy the time you spend with me to teach me more about flying and fighting, I would appreciate if you would leave it for another time_, hissed Sinedar bitterly.

_You are no fun, Sinedar, _replied Serkath as he let out a low growl of disappointment. We will do it your way, if that is what you wish.

Pleased that he will finally have a tranquil flight, Sinedar snorted black smoke and flapped his wings faster to get in front of the other dragon. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain at the base of his wing and snarled, catching the sapphire's dragon attention.

_Is there something wrong or you had a change of thoughts as you realized how boring normal flying could be? _hummed Serkath playfully as he turned his head to watch his son, his golden scales sparkling in the sun light.

* * *

After his recent lesson, Sinedar was reluctant to share the exact feeling to his father. He felt as if his muscles were on fire, and every wing stroke merely increased the agonizing sensation.  
_No, It's just a small pain that..._ Sinedar let out a roar as the stinging sensation intensified as he flapped his wings once again. The sharp and intense pain paralyzed him for a moment and caused him to lose control of his flight. Out of a sudden, he found himself plummeting towards the ground.  
Panicked by the sudden disturbance, Sinedar tried to ignore the pain and tried to correct himself like he did earlier, but to no avail. The dragon soon found out that the pain was too great for him to continue flapping his wings. In those short moments, he did the only thing that would alleviate the sudden pain: he stretched his wings to their maximum. By doing this, the force on his muscles would diminish and he would be able to glide safely.

* * *

Startled by the sudden roar, Serkath let out a worried growl and made a quick dive to reach the other dragon that was now right below him. He soon reached him and flew by his side like he did earlier, but something made him blink in surprise: the gold dragon wasn't flapping his wings at all. Having little time to elucidate this mystery, Serkath addressed his son in an attempt to get a direct response to his problems.  
_  
__Sinedar, are you alright? What happened?_ Serkath sighed in his mind as he put his worries aside for a moment. _If you want to practice aerial maneuvers, you should inform me of that before you do something like you did earlier._

Sinedar merely hissed as his gaze switched to the green forest below.

* * *

Without knowing the cause of the pain, there was no way to escape from it, and the dragon kept on going, enduring the uncomfortable sensation. He felt as if his wing was being burnt alive, but he would not show weakness in front of his father! His little trick to glide proved effective until the lower altitude winds interfered.

Because of his large body and the long wingspan, Sinedar found himself being dragged in random directions. He tried to use his tail for balance, but it did not pay off. The winds were dragging him down, and the sore wings prevented him from opposing the harsh winds. Panic was beginning to rise as Sinedar found himself helpless.

* * *

Worried by what was going on with his son, Serkath entered his mind, only to be hit by a big wave on panic and confusion. He tried to communicate with his son, but the feelings were too powerful and proved to be like a barrier between his conscience and Sinedar's. Realizing that his son would not control his emotion in his current state, Serkath descended, a firm plan in his mind.

As he made his way to his son from behind, he let out a roar to inform Sinedar of his position. The golden dragon jerked his head at the sound of his father's roar and allowed him to enter his mind.

_Why is it that you do not make use of your wings?_ Serkath asked on a worried tone. With an involuntary move, he glanced at the forest below, the trees beginning to take a more definite shape. _Whatever the problem is, you should try to correct it before you reach a lower altitude_, he growled as he gained altitude with two flaps of his massive wings.

This remark frustrated Sinedar given the circumstances .It was as if he did not know the risks involved. _I am aware of that father! It's just that…I can't!_ he hissed, revealing the truth to his father. Even if he felt shameful for doing so, there were no solutions to his problems, or so he thought.

* * *

This reply puzzled Serkath, who was now watching his son from above. His mind was trying to devise a plan, but nothing seemed to please the blue dragon as he growled in frustration. His son was in danger, and Serkath could not bear the thought of seeing him crash into the forest ground. There were many risks involved, risks that the blue dragon preferred not to ponder upon.

* * *

The ground was approaching faster than Sinedar would have liked. The green mass of trees that usually appealed the gold dragon for various reasons was now terrifying him. Sinedar was still a young dragon, and because of this, he still had so many things to learn. However, this was not one of the things he was eager to experience, and the circumstances that lead to this moment scared him more than anything. Never before had he crashed, for his parents made sure he never would, but not even the wisdom of his parents was not enough to prevent this moment from happening.

Fear and helplessness took control of him as the inevitable moment was drawing closer. Sinedar could almost feel his blood freezing at the thought of acquiring a permanent injury that might turn his life upside down.

Serkath roared in terror as he positioned his body in a steep dive to reach his son. There was only one thing he could do for his son, and he was not afraid to take it. Sinedar's safety came first, as this was an oath he and his mate had sworn when the golden dragon hatched.

Realizing what his father was about to do, Sinedar roared in protest, _What in the world are you doing, father? I can take care of myself!_ Even if the golden dragon regretted his words, he did not want to see his father the victim for his stupidity. It was he who was to be blamed for this, and he alone would find a way out of the impending crash. However, he had to convince his stubborn father first, and this was not an easy task.

When the sapphire dragon reached him, Sinedar let out a low growl of panic filled with regret, _It is my fault father. It is my punishment for being reckless. I know what you have in mind, but I will not let that happen._ Suddenly, Sinedar swiveled to the right to prevent his father from attempting to stop him.

Serkath roared furiously when his son increased the distance between them. _You silly hatchling!_ He bellowed, panic struck. Now there was no way for him to protect his son with his body as the canopy of the trees approached faster and faster. _You have no idea what you are doing!_

A vicious snarl from the distance interrupted him as the golden dragon entered his mind, his voice calm as a summer day. _Oh, cut it off, father! I'm not a hatchling anymore! How many times do I have to tell you? Besides, I can take care of myself._

** My, my, Sinedar seems to have encounter a roadblock, which in this case may prove to be fatal to him. Will he be able to get out of this messy situation. If so, how? There are no easy ways to avoid a potential disaster, and time is running short for the golden dragon.**

** Anyway, I hope you do enjoy this chapter and you are kind enough to leave a comment and tell me what you think. Comments containing constructive criticism are always appreciated and every one of them can help me improve.**


	3. Chapter 3

The ground was approaching faster than Sinedar would have liked. The green mass of trees that usually appealed the gold dragon for various reasons now turned into a terrifying background as it could very well be the reason for his demise. Sinedar was still a young dragon, and because of his fragile age, some things were still covered in the fog of the unknown, together with areas he had yet to explore. However, among the different adventures he would eventually encounter, this was not one he was eager to experience. Thus, the circumstances that had led to this horrifying moment scared him more than anything ever did. Fear and helplessness took control over him as he roared in despair at the ever-closing trees. Sinedar tried to make one last attempt to flap his wings to slow the descent, but a roar of pain extinguished his hope of preventing the upcoming crash.

The moment before he smashed into the trees bellow, the dragon's mind randomly drifted to one of his father's lessons:

_Wings are one of a dragon's greatest assets, my son. With their help, we can move freely trough the sky and experience freedom like no other ground creature can ever dream of. We often call ourselves rulers of the sky, for no other flying creature can ever hope to compete with us. It is said that the sky is the father to us all, and we are his sons, for a dragon that cannot fly will never feel complete. Because of that, when two dragons fight, there is a mutual agreement made between them to not permanently damage their wings, for a dragon that cannot fly cannot be called a dragon anymore. It will be stripped of its title as a ruler of the sky and downgraded to the same level as any ground-bound creature._

_However, wings are not without weaknesses, and this freedom of movement comes at a price. While strong enough to sustain us in the air, our wings are fragile compared to the rest of our body and any powerful impact would cause those fragile bones to break. Take a forest, for example. There is little to no room of maneuver through it, and in case of a rough landing, the trees would smash a dragon's wings to bits, no matter its size. While it does not seem like it, the trees are more resilient than you may imagine and the tough wood would not break under an eventual impact. It would be best to avoid this unpleasant situation for obvious reasons. In addition, if, for any unimaginable reason, you would get yourself into a situation like this and the impact with the ground seems imminent, you should tuck your wings to your body immediately. While this would accelerate the falling speed, you would not be at risk of damaging your wings permanently, and thus be denied of the ability to fly for the rest of your life. Remember that, for in dire times, it may prove to a vital piece of information._

With a jerk of his head, Sinedar returned to the harsh reality. With the piece of information still vivid in his mind, the dragon narrowed his eyelids and glared at the forest bellow. He let out another roar, but this time, it was not a roar of panic. Armed with the knowledge his father has provided him with, Sinedar knew the right way to handle this situation. All his troubling thoughts had vanished from his mind when he realized that he alone must overcome the challenge that has been set before him.

With another, more determined roar, the dragon resigned with the imminent impact and prepared himself for the painful experience that was about to happen.

The mass of trees grew close enough to the point where Sinedar, with his enhanced sight, could count every leaf or needle. Only a few moments separated him from the imminent collision, but there was still something that had to be done before that.

With the treetops being on the same level with Sinedar, the dragon disappeared from sight, blending with the green forested area. However, just a moment before he made contact with a tree, Sinedar let out a deafening roar and folded his wings quickly. A second later and he collided with the taller fir trees, sending splintered wood everywhere. The sound of breaking branches reverberated trough the area as the helpless dragon continued his descent. Everything seemed a blur as the different shapes of the trees zipped by, confusing Sinedar even more as his eyes couldn't focus on a particular target due to the speed of this. His sight seemed almost useless as green and brown colors danced in front of him, so he just shut them to prevent another unfortunate accident. He twisted a few times, trying to maneuver himself as best as he could in these harsh conditions, but his attempts at avoiding the trees had a reverse effect, causing him even more harm. The different sized branches scraped against his body all the time, but the only serious damage they did was to his wings. The thin, delicate membrane soon acquired a multitude of cuts and scrapes as a result of the rough contact with the wood.

Sinedar let out a multitude of sounds, ranging from roars to growls as he continued his descent trough the thick forest. The silence of the entire area was shaken when a powerful roar exploded from Sinedar's throat as he smashed into a giant tree in front of him. Shortly after that, the impact caused his body to bounce and slam into another tree before he finally hit the ground with a loud impact. The dragon attempted to use his limbs in an attempt to stop, but the impact with the ground was rougher than he expected. He touched the ground for a moment and tried to grip with his claws, but it quickly vanished from under his paws, the momentum from the impact causing him to bounce off the ground a few times. His body twisted in the air at some weird angles. Blades of grass, fallen cones and a cloud of dust and debris were blasted into the air when the dragon finally came to a stop, landing on his side. His wings hanged uselessly, his legs were unable to support his weight, and his vision was blurry. His heart was pounding out of his chest and his accelerated breath rate tried to make up for the lack of oxygen during the rough crash. Sinedar looked around frantically, attempting to determine his location. His confusion was short lived, however, as specks and dots of different colors started to dance before his eyes. Growling softly, the dragon laid his head down and passed out shortly after due to the recent events.

Despite the unexpected disruption caused by Sinedar's crash, the chirping sounds of the birds seemed unperturbed. A couple of small, ebony-feathered birds flew around, chirping happily while the sun peered through the dense forest. They were chasing each other, flying in circles while trying different patterns with the purpose to confuse the other one; basically, they used anything to gain the upper hand in this strange contest of theirs. After a while, both of them perched on a white, strange surface that seemed different from the other branches. This did not matter, however, since both birds eyed each other, chirping angrily. Suddenly, one of them darted its head and pinched its adversary. The other bird was not caught on the wrong foot as it returned the favor with a quick nip at the other one's neck. Shortly after that, chirps of all kinds disturbed the silence as the two birds started to wrangle.

The dispute did not last long enough to determine a winner as both of the birds took off in an instant as a strange sound came from beneath the strange branch.

A soft, lifeless growling sound came from the golden dragon that stirred a bit after a long moment of immobility. His limbs twitched, and shortly after he groggily opened his eyelids, staring absent-mindedly at a tree located in front of him. His vision was blurry and he could not see very well in the distance, thing which confused Sinedar slightly. Yelping, he tried to raise his head and look around, but he could barely find enough strength to do so. Realizing that his senses were still meddled up, the dragon closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

It took a while for Sinedar to recover from the initial shock that had caused him to pass out. When his senses were partially restored after the recent commotion, a wail of anguish escaped him as the different wounds he recently acquired started to throb, making their presence noticeable. The most prominent pain came from his wings, and Sinedar feared that misfortune has befallen him and he would never be able to take to the skies again.

Alarmed by that fact, the only thing he could think of was to contact his father mentally and ask him for guidance concerning his current state. Slowly, he closed his eyes and tried to focus long enough to probe for the sapphire dragon with his mind, but it proved to be much harder than he anticipated. Too many things distracted him, the main factor being the pain that was erupting from all of his body, the stinging sensation of pain giving him no break. Sinedar snarled in annoyance, angry at himself for not being able to contact his father. Even if he tried to ignore his aching body, every time he thought he got close to results, his mind drifted to something else, causing him to lose all his initial focus.

The golden dragon expressed his frustration once again with a weak roar, but he wasn't about to give up. Snarling, he tried again, searching for the familiar conscience of his father, ignoring everything around. However, try as he might, he could not cling to Serkath's conscience.

Dismayed, Sinedar let out a puff of smoke as he snorted and lowered his head on his feet, pondering about his next move. There wasn't much he could do except for the obvious solution to stay in that place or try to get up and move around, but the useless waste of energy would take a heavy toll on his weakened and wounded body.

Sinedar tried to shift his position so he would be more comfortable, but the intense pain did not allow him to do that. Snarling, the dragon craned his neck to inspect the various wounds on his body. no major wounds were present, from what he could see. His golden scales showed no signs of damage, although they were a bit dirty after the collision with the earth. Even though his scaled had apparently protected him from the brutal impact with the ground, in reality, it was different. Under his scales hid different sized bruises and damaged areas that, even if they were not visible, they kept stinging him. Carefully, the dragon touched his right flank with his snout and, as soon as he did that, he hissed in pain, the burning sensation becoming more powerful at the contact. He kept doing that until he could assess the whole situation and have a general concept about the extent of his wounds.

A feeling of helplessness engulfed him as he realized that most of the lower parts of his body, including all of his limbs, were damaged during his fall. T_rying to move at this time might prove to be a futile attempt. With all those wounds that keep me in place, I wouldn't make it far anyway. My flying capabilities are also limited by that sudden pain that appeared out of nowhere, but maybe if I try..._ thought the dragon, and he turned his head around to inspect his wings. As soon as his eyes met with the middle part of his body, a sensation of dread engulfed him: his wings, his beautiful, light colored wings were now dyed with nuances of red as tiny rivulets of blood poured from the different sized cuts and scratches.

As he tilted his head to inspect the right wing closer, he noticed a large scratch that covered a noticeable area in the middle of his wing. The only thing that was keeping his wing membrane together were some strings of tissue which dripped blood profoundly. Save for the severe wound on his right wing, small sized holes were present on both of his wings. They were probably the result of branches puncturing the membrane of his wings during the crash.

A light growl came from Sinedar's throat as he gazed in the distance, his eyes hiding his stress, confusion and fear. _I cannot believe I was so careless. I would have not been in this situation in the first place if I was not so reckless as to believe that my wings are flawless. My father always insisted that safety comes first, but my reckless decision to fly when I could have let him know about the sudden pain that struck my wing out of a sudden prevailed in the end. A moderate period of rest was enough to prevent this_, he mused._ Am I too stubborn? Why do I not pay attention to every of my father's advices?_ He waited for a while, and then snorted in shame. The thin line of smoke quickly dissipated into the air.

_I am lost, trapped between two storm clouds, with no knowledge of a way out… I realize that my father wants the best for me, but it is not my intention to appear weak, as long as it is in my power. He will most definitely not appreciate the fact that his only son is a weakling that cannot do anything on his own. Grrr…_, he growled, slightly annoyed at himself. However, this self- hatred didn't last long as a regretful thought entered Sinedar's mind.

_I wish he was here so I could have the chance to share with him the reason behind my apparent indifference every time he wants to teach me something new. Even if sometimes his enthusiastic approach of a lesson, together with his persistence is a bit annoying, he's a great dragon and I would be grateful if I would ever rise to his height and be at least half the dragon he is._

He let out a low, saddened growl, _And to think that I scolded him for his playful behavior only for the purpose of guarding my own weakness… I, again, let pride get the best of me, where in fact I should have listened better to what he had to say. This cannot go on. I will speak with him about it the moment I will get to see him again._ Sinedar bowed his head in shame as a sense of remorse washed through every fibber of his body.

** It's finally here! In this part, we had the opportunity to find out Sinedar's thoughts about the recent events, as well as his attitude towards his father. It seems that pride does not always works the way it is supposed to be, and in Sinedar's case, it backfired. It is noble of him to have regrets, don't you think?**

** I know where I am going with the plot, but I would love to hear your opinion, readers. I usually do not resort to this, but your comments really do help me. Besides, I want to know what you think about the dragon chapters, for I am slightly unsure about their personality. So please, if you read my fanfic, will you take a couple of minutes to write a comment? That's the nicest gift a reader can give to a fanfic author.**


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